Lake Tahoe Days 1-3

Three years ago we went on a family vacation to Lake Tahoe. This year, my in-laws decided they wanted to go again, so we packed up our van and joined them for a week on the Nevada/California border.

It was that original trip to Tahoe that clued us in to the joys of paddle boards and kayaks. We have since purchased four kayaks and one paddle board, so this time we were fully equipped to enjoy Lake Tahoe (though we left one kayak home).

The view from the road near our condo

We left on vacation on a Saturday, and the drive there was basically a restroom tour of the west desert. The bathrooms from Salt Lake to Lake Tahoe leave much to be desired (they are all disgusting). We stopped an average of once per hour - sometimes at real bathrooms and sometimes on the side of the road. Other than the danger of rattle snakes and scorpions, the side of the road was preferable. One of our stops was at the restrooms on the salt flats, so we let our kids go walk on the salt for a while, which resulted in a very salty ride for the eight hours following.

Zoe walking on the salt flats

(Note that she is wearing a nightgown with a dress over it)

We arrived in Lake Tahoe around 4:00 pm and got checked into our condo. Then we went into town and had dinner at a burger shop and picked up our groceries. I pre-ordered our groceries from Raley's, and I have to say, Raley's was horrible. I could write a whole post on that, alone, but I'm trying to move on with my life.

On Sunday, we went to Sacrament Meeting. We had talked about going to church, but packing the clothes kind of slipped my mind, so we went in our vacation clothes. Our kids were just as disruptive as they are in our home ward. We are a spectacle everywhere we go.

We tried to go on a hike after church, but the mountain was so packed with people that we couldn't find anywhere to park. Cars lined both sides of the road for miles, and every parking lot was full. It was my own personal version of hell, so we went back to the condo and then went to a few parks. I was pretty miserable on Sunday. I was really fatigued and ornery. My kids drove me crazy asking when they could go swimming and when they could play mini golf. I wasn't sure if I was going to survive the vacation.

Don't be fooled by my pine cones, I was super ornery this day

Monday was our first beach day. It was fun, but there were some issues too. It was windy so we spent a good chunk of the day chasing our stuff and saving other people's stuff. There were no bathrooms nearby, and some lady's dog peed on our chairs multiple times. Despite the problems, we enjoyed the lake. The closest buoy had a ladder on it, so Scotty and Nicky were able to climb it and jump off. We were near the river, so we had our choice of paddling in the lake or the river. There were giant, hideous tadpoles for the kids to catch and bald eagles flying overhead. I set off on my own for a while in the kayak and rowed through hundreds of lily pads and saw a mama duck swimming with six babies on her back.

Kids playing in the lake on our first beach day

Being out on the water by myself was the first time I've felt peace in a long time. I have been struggling with a lot of inner turmoil lately - I've felt physically, mentally, and spiritually lost, and despite my best efforts, I can't snap out of it. So being able to go out on the water and truly be alone for a while was very healing. I made several short journeys out on the water during this vacation so I could keep experiencing that.

TO BE CONTINUED...